Report of the Royal Commission on National Health Insurance

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1740277147

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-132094

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Report of the Royal Commission on National Health Insurance

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: Stationery Office

Year of publication:: 1926

Scope:: XII, 394 S.

Digitisation:: 2020

Collection:: Economics Books

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Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter XIII. Miscellaneous questions

Collection:: Economics Books

DA38 MAJORITY REPORT. of Society should be fettered by the fact that a person transferring from one Society or Branch to another loses additional benefits for a substantial period of time. It is true that the new Society is not under any obligation to accept the member, nor is the member under any compulsion to leave. Nevertheless there must be many cases when a change of residence makes it wholly reasonable that an insured person should desire to transfer his membership to another organisation, and in consequence con- siderable hardship must not infrequently be inflicted. But apart from cases where the desire to transfer arises from u change in the insured person’s residence, it must be remembered that the Act contemplates that insured persons should enjoy, subject only to such safeguards as may be necessary, a liberal right to transfer, when they so desire, from one Society to another willing to accept them. It appears to us prima facie indefensible that the exercise of a fundamental right conferred by the Act should entail any greater loss than is inevitable. 581. The evidence we have received on this subject varies. The hardship is generally admitted, but the difficulties of giving the transferring member either the additional benefits of the new Society or those of the old are pointed out. The administra- tion of Societies is already so complicated as to make it on the whole undesirable that they should have to administer different schemes of additional benefits for different members. On the financial side, the necessity for having the transfer values loaded to meet the cost of additional benefits has to be considered. If, on the other hand, the benefits granted are to be those of the new Society, it is clear that the old Society eannot be expected to pay for them. In this event there is a serious risk of the financial soundness of a Society being impaired by an active policy of canvassing for members. 582. Another very important point has been put to us in connexion with the treatment benefits. It seems very undesir- able that a person who has enjoyed treatment benefits, for example, dental benefit, in one Society should lose this for a lengthy period on transferring. Even more important is the fact that young persons, who may have been receiving dental treat- ment at school will, for a period of seven years, i.e., the two years from 14 to 16 and: the five waiting years, be unable to qualify for this important benefit. (British Dental Association, Q. 9227). 583. The Hearts of Oak Benefit Society (App. IV, 333-339; Q. 8756-3757) desire the retention of the waiting period, but realise the importance of dental benefit between the ages of 16 and 21. They suggest that it should, partly for this reason, be made a statutory benefit. (App. IV, 255- 284.) They also concur in the view that it would not be practicable to give a transferring member a title to the same additional benefits as he received from his former Society. The

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